Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-25
"N0-MAN'S-LAND."
4 Country Where There Is No Owner.
ship Of the SOFIA Garden Spot
where 10000 People Live
And Where Cour.s Have No Jurisdiction,
Asking Territorial Government from
Congress-. Why Imm sd,ats 40.
ton Should be Taken


Indian Territory and New Mexico, which
has been known for many years as EMO
Man's-Land." 1t has this name because
by errors in surveys, by exclusions in
acts OF Congress fixing boundaries and by
general neglect and inadverience it lies
outside of sny organized state or terri
tory of the United States. 1t is really a
"No- Man's-Lsnd," for no courts have
Jurisdiction within its bounds; no laws
eItt nd over or apply to it; its land can
not be owned. because Congress has not
authorized their sale. "No-Man's-Landn
is simply spot on the map.
A toierably large spot, for it contains
8 6s7, $50 acres, beng 1877 miles long by
thirty four and half wide. 1t is fertile,
well wstered, has valuable deposits of
coal, iue Climate, and, being almost all
good land, government report says that
IL has the raw material for $4,000 farms
Of l60 acres each.
TEN THOUSAND HOMES.
1t was for years huge cattle run. It
contains st present 10 600 American
farmers, who have sent one of their num-
Ger, Mr.. 0. G. Chase, here to ask Con-
gress in their name to give them 8 terri
torIal government, with the law and pro-
lection of the flag which they are so
totally and ngulerly without. They
nave agreed to csu their territory Cimsr-
ron, from principal river, and If Con-
gress is as kind to them as their good
conduct deserves the present winter will
see established the territory of Cimarron
These 10000 Americans went into No.
Mans Land, knowing that the land they
hsd settled on and cultivated they could,get
no legal title to unless Congress would
act for their protection; knowing that no
crime, not even murder, committed in
No-Msn' Land could be punished, be-
cause no courts, no laws, took cogni-
zince Of what was done in No-Msn's-
Land. They had no authority to form g
governments; no power TO levy taxes for
the simplest or most necessary purposes {;
no power to make laws which any inhab-
liant need obey. Chaos vas their en-
forced condition.
COMMONWEALTH
Yet these ten. thousand have founded
towns, built schoolhouses and churches.
and are supporting these. They have
made the few simple regulations required
to maintain peace and order and "the
general consent" The good sense and
have enabled them to found @ common
wealth which continues to exist only by
the general suffraLce, but which now ap-
peals, and ought not TO appeal in vain, to
Congress TO give it the shelter of the
United States laws.
Mr.. o. G. Chase, the delegate they have
sent here to speak for them, is well
built and Intelligent man-s typical Amer
loan old cntf1pr q
of "Cimarron" which follows tells what
the people Of No Mans Land have done
and what they hope for from Congress.
Q How many people are there in the
territory of ClmarroD? A ABB Ut 10 600.
Q. Mostly Americans? a. There is an
unusual proportion Of nstiye-b born Cit
have ever been in.
Q How long since they first began to
60 IN there to settle? A Not exec eding
TWO years. A year ago there were not
over 400 or 500 people there.
Q Before that was il entirely uninhsb-
iteo2 A. Before that it was only iHhabit-
the stock was frozen out by an excessive
~ cold winter.
HOW THE LAND is HELD.
III VIZ tWo yCo4o hoFC JOUl pCOpAC
build houses, churches and schools in the
American fashion? A. Only within the
last year. There we're not people enough
years ago. The people are nearly all
farmers. Those living in the towns own
land, and are arranging to cultivate the
same Mex spring. When 8 farmer goes
in there with his family and picks out q
,1i. Ia,, I,4 $oI-,
2 HOY does ne know ne has taken $50
scTes? A. The territory has been sur
veyed into townships, and from those
corners we c:n stake out the sections.
We have several towns. Beaver has 400
people; Optma, 100; Mineral City, so;
Carriso, 100; Benton, so; Boyd, so; AL
pin, 100; Nertral, so, and Bluegrass, So
Those are all the towns in the ter
ritory. There is Only timber in the sand
bills, which answers for wood. There is
nothing, probably, that might be called
timber strictly. We have no sawmills or
gristmllls.
Q What do the people do TO live? Sim
pN sell their grain and stock? A. They
nave not been there long enough to sell
anything. Not fifty farmers were there
early enough last year to raise crops
But wheat grows eXcellently and foe
crops of corn are raised, and it is q fine
country for other cereals. such as cats,
canary and gillet. Canary is q very good
crop-worth more than wheat II is gen
eslly imported TO this country, but we
can raise it out there abundantly.
GOOD HOMES BUILT.
Q. Are the good people living in houses
or dugouts9 A. In good log houses in
the country. In the towns the houses are
mostlv frames.
Q OF course nobody has any right to
the land? A. Nothing but squatter
right.
Q And there Is no government A.
Oaiy provisional government, known
there as territor rial council; it is hardly
government. In November, 1886, We
got up 8 petition calling for mass
meeting In Beaver to take steps looking
to the orgsniz .tion of council
for the purpose of beginning some
shadow Of government IS we
were entirely without any law. The re-
suit OF tbst mass meeting was an election
called for February % last for the selec-
ton OF nine members to 8 council, three
from each meridian district, TO meet In
Beaver on March 4 We had no printing
office in the territory at the time. The
tickets were all written and the poll
books were written. The election was
held in an orderly manner. About eighty
votes were Cast in Beaver. Nine good
Chase was mace president and Merritt
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